I had to psych myself up.
Unfortunately, this took me through a mental perusal of my outfit. I was thinking I should have gone shorts and tank or maybe a cute little shirt with flip-flops. But no. I decided to wear a dress I bought with Celeste. Navy blue, the bodice going straight across the tops of my br**sts with a spaghetti strap that started at my armpits and went around the back of my neck. It fit close down to my waist then flared out in a cute little short skirt. I was wearing my strappy, silver, high-heeled sandals with it. I certainly looked like I belonged on Sampson Cooper’s arm and I knew this by the (many) approving looks we were getting. But Sam wasn’t Sampson Cooper to his mother and I was afraid I’d gone overboard.
Taking my mind off that, it decided to move through yesterday which was good. This was because yesterday was good. In my mission to break through with Sam, yesterday I felt I didn’t do too badly.
The day started with the good news that Sam felt pretty confident that the hit man was on his way to Bora Bora never to return to darken our door again. Tanner Layne’s morning call sharing he received a confirmation e-mail from the hit man that he was standing down helped. I thought this was overkill and might be his way of putting us off the scent. Sam (and Tanner and, after Sam phoned him, Lee) disagreed. They all felt that Sam’s point had been made very clearly as getting a pair of khakis ruined by a bullet was wont to do. They felt the hit man just wanted to make sure that all the players were aware of his intention not to kill me. I saw the wisdom of believing them seeing as I had enough on my plate trying to make Sam open up to me at the same time fall in love with me and making a good impression with his mother. Not to mention, they were experts in this crazy shit and I was not.
After Sam took his run, I talked him into hitting town to buy flowers, chocolates and vases (Sam’s kitchen was kitted out but he was not a man who owned vases, this I discovered during my search while he was running). We picked up what we needed then Sam drove us out of town straight to a Jeep dealership. He did not share that a visit to a Jeep dealership was on our day’s agenda so I was a little surprised.
I became very surprised when we were met by a salesman who was clearly beside himself with glee that he scored Sampson Cooper but was still trying to act cool.
After his effusive (but trying to be cool) greeting, Sam told him, “Need to lease my woman a Jeep Cherokee. Thinkin’…” he trailed off, glanced through the lot then looked at the man and finished, “green.”
I stopped breathing.
The man chirped excitedly, “Absolutely! Let’s get you a test drive. I’ll go get some keys. Be right back!” Then he sprinted (yes, sprinted) into the building.
“Uh… what’s going on?” I asked and Sam looked down at me.
“Gettin’ you a ride,” Sam answered.
“Um, shouldn’t we go to a car rental place or…” I looked around then back at him, “do they do day and week rentals here?”
Sam’s head cocked slightly to the side and he repeated, “Day and week rentals?”
“The threat is over, honey. I mean, I want to meet your Mom so I’ll stay for that but then I have to go home and sort out my life.”
“Right,” Sam agreed. “But what are you gonna drive while you’re here?”
“A rental car and I don’t need anything fancy. Just a compact from Avis or something.”
That was when Sam’s brows drew together and he asked, “No, baby, I mean when you’re here.”
The emphasis on the final word didn’t mean as much to me as it obviously meant to Sam so I wisely decided to tread cautiously.
“Let’s back up,” I said quietly. “What’s going on and this time maybe you should add some details to your answer.”
Sam studied me a moment then did as I requested. “You live in Indiana.”
I nodded.
“I live here.”
I nodded again.
“You need to go back there, family, friends, whatever. When you’re there, you’ve already got a ride.”
I nodded yet again.
“When you’re here, you need a ride. So I’m seein’ to you havin’ a ride.”
Okay, although there were more words to this explanation, I was still not following.
“Yes, and I can rent one from Avis or something, like you did when you were in Indiana.”
Sam’s head cocked to the side again and his brows drew together again at the same time which I thought might be a scary combination.
“Baby, I live here.”
I was getting kind of impatient. “I know, Sam.”
“And you’re my woman.”
Uh-oh. Not this again.
I had a feeling there was an additional nuance to me being his woman that he thought I should get that I did not.
“Sam –” I began to tell him this but he turned fully to me, lifting his hands and curling his fingers around either side of my neck, his face dipping to my face, his was serious so I shut up.
And I would find he was serious when he said, “This isn’t a vacation for you. You’re not here a few days to relax and enjoy the beach and then goin’ home never to come back. I didn’t just buy four vases because my woman wanted to fill the house with flowers. I bought four vases because my woman’s livin’ at my house and she’s the kinda woman who fills the house with flowers.”
Oh boy. I had a feeling that explained the garlic press.
Sam went on, “I dig that you gotta sort out what you gotta sort out at home. When I’m there with you, we’ll sort out what I gotta sort out when I’m in Indiana with you once you got what you gotta sort out sorted.”
Right, I followed that… kind of.
He kept going. “But we don’t have shit to sort for you when you’re here except this, gettin’ you a ride. So I’m sorting it.”
Light was dawning.
“Are you saying I’m going to be here often enough to need a car?”
This got the head cock, eyebrow draw and narrowed eyes which was definitely scary.
“Uh… yeah.”
“Oh,” I whispered.
“You with me?” he asked.
“Um… yes,” I answered then foolishly queried, “Am, I, uh… paying –?”
I didn’t finish.
Sam cut me off with a firm, unyielding, deeply growled, “Kia.”
I pressed my lips together.
Then I ventured, “Okay, then, uh… can I point out you already have a gas guzzling utility vehicle and perhaps we should spare the environment another gas guzzling utility vehicle?”